Has-Been Heroes

A rougelike side-scroller developed by Frozenbyte. The players assume control over a ragtag group of heroes a little over their prime. The team receives a final task – escorting two princesses to a special academy. Unfortunately, the mission won’t be easy, as there will be numerous dangers lurking along the way. We begin the game with choosing three characters from an available pool of twelve different heroes. The game sees the trio defend the princesses against continuous waves of varied opponents that force us to switch tactics according to the situation at hand. Each hero carries unique equipment, as well as his own set of spells – in all, we can make use of over 300 spells and 200 items. Our mission will see the players travel through 14 different environments. The clashes are randomly generated, making each playthrough different and challenging. Interestingly enough, loosing (either through death or the capture of princesses) means having to start over from scratch. Has-Been Heroes is characterized by simple, cartoonish art-style.

Companies responsible for Has-Been Heroes

Has-Been Heroes release date for Switch:

game language:English

28 March 2017| Worldwide

04 April 2017| Europe PAL

Game mode: single player

Has-Been Heroes for PlayStation 4 is a rougelike developed by Frozenbyte, a studio known from warmly-welcomed Trine series. The game was released on multiple platforms, including eighth generation consoles and Nintendo Switch.

Plot

The action of Has-Been Heroes takes place in a typical fantasy universe. The players assume control over a group of ageing heroes, known for their heroic deeds (killing rats, saving a prince, pacifying a dragon, and so on). The group is brought back from retirement with a new mission – escort two princesses to a special academy. As can easily be imagined, the mission won’t be easy, with numerous dangers waiting for the unusual party.

Mechanics

In Has-Been Heroes, action is seen from a side perspective. Our heroes traverse randomly-generated locations found in fourteen different areas, battling more and more powerful enemies. We can choose from twelve heroes, each equipped with unique equipment and abilities. The group includes Rouge, Bard, Dwarf, and even a Mexican Wrestler. The game is characteristic for numerous magical abilities – some of the heroes can throw hundreds of spells which can further be mixed into spectacular combinations. In all, we can make use of over 300 spells and 200 items.

The battles take place in real time, with the participants are arranged in three lines. Enemy lines are often built from varied opponents – our job is to find weak points and prepare an effective counter. It should be mentioned that death is permanent, so each defeat forces us to begin from scratch. Don’t forget that our main objective is to defend the princesses. If the enemy manages to capture either one of them, the game is over. However, most of the content is randomly-generated, marking each playthrough unique – the replayability factor is certainly strong in this one.

Technical Aspects

Has-Been Heroes is characterized by simple, two-dimensional graphics and animated visuals. However, the game doesn’t manage to surpass the previous projects of the studio, including the aforementioned Trine series, when it comes down to the graphics.